Double-sided Shuttle Table 200 Ton Automotive Leather Die Cutting Press, Doubling Productivity

MORITO ISHIHARA AUTO PARTS COMPANY LIMITED (Morito) is a Japanese company that produces auto parts. It mainly produces high-quality automotive leather for car seats, gears, storage boxes, car door armrests, etc. The main customers are Japan's Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and other well-known companies. When the need to increase capacity prompted Morito to look for a new press, they solicited several quotes, but Shuntec had the advantage from the get-go.

"Shuntec specializes in building custom presses," says Mr. Ryosuke Ishihara, general manager for Morito. “We knew they could tailor a press to meet our requirements and help double the productivity as we require.”

Morito installed the first custom 200-ton double-sided shuttle table automotive leather die cutting press in October 2013. With a 59” x 47” cutting area and two shuttle tables with the same dimensions, the new press greatly expanded the die-cutting capabilities for leather. They are primarily using the press to die cut shape for auto seats and door armrests.

"We’re running everything we can through this press," says Mr. Ryosuke Ishihara. “We are pushing the machine’s limits. The positioning tolerances of the shuttle tables are within 0.0008’’, and the repeat accuracy of the pressing force is within 1%. So, we don’t need to worry about every punch made by the press. The final cutting result of the leather shape is perfect. This really helps us double the productivity and yield rate, which are exactly what we have planned.”

Equipped with Siemens PLC controls, the intuitive system operates in manual mode to accommodate die set-up and maintenance as well as a semi-automatic mode for continuous production. The controls system also helps Morito reduce the reliance on skilled labor. “The new leather die cutting press machine has allowed us to reduce the number of personnel needed for some jobs,” Ryosuke notes.

"Shuntec understood what we needed and wanted" Ryosuke adds. "They were just fantastic to work with."

Quick Facts

Type of Press	4 Post Press, Leather Die Cutting Press
Tonnage	200 Tons
Industry	Automotive Parts, Automotive Leather Cutting
Special Features	Double-sided Shuttle Tables
Challenge	Doubling Productivity
Solution	Equipped with double-sided shuttle tables on both the front and rear sides of the bed table. Convenient for loading and unloading; While one-side shuttle table is moving into the cutting area for die-cutting, the other side of the shuttle table can do loading and unloading. Minimize the waiting time of the overall operation. Double productivity.
Challenge	Reduce reliance on skilled labor.
Solution	Equipped with Siemens controls, the intuitive system operates in manual mode to accommodate die set-up and maintenance as well as a semi-automatic mode for continuous production. Once part recipes are perfected, they can be stored for easy recall. MORITO doesn’t have to rely on a manual controls system or highly-skilled operators to maintain accuracy and repeatability.
Results	MORITO was able to double production capacity and reduce reliance on skilled labor.